Baseball has been known and loved for at least 150 years. In this time, many new devices have been devised to improve pitching, catching and most importantly batting. These batting devices have been utilized to increase the strength of the batter, the bat speed, and improve the hand/eye coordination and hand/wrist motion during the swing of the batter. This particular device is designed to indicate whether or not a batter is swinging the bat correctly.
The path a bat travels during a swing by a batter may vary from swing to swing. However, in a correct swing, the batter strives to roll or rotate the top hand over the bottom hand (with respect to the grip of the bat). This movement is commonly referred to as “breaking the wrists” and is performed immediately before, during and through contact with a baseball or other such object. The batter “breaks his wrist” to follow through the forward motion of his or her swing, making contact with the ball and resulting in an optimal amount of force being applied to the baseball as well as control over the direction the baseball is hit.
In an incorrect swing, the batter has a tendency to prematurely release the top hand from the bat during the swing, or alternatively, to rotate the top hand over the bottom hand prematurely. This is considered a bad habit by most batting coaches. The premature release of the bat by the top hand limits the control the batter has over where the ball is hit into the field. Likewise, the premature rotation of the bat by the batter usually results in the ball being hit downward. In either case, the improper swing typically results in a ball hit in an unintended direction and without much power.
It is therefore desirable to provide a baseball swing training apparatus which will readily disclose to the batter whether or not he is swinging a bat in accordance with the proper principles for batting. A still further object of this apparatus is to provide a useful device for developing the swing of a batter that is economical to manufacture and use.